The Pilot Project Program is one of the key elements of the EHSC at Rochester. The goals of this Program are to, 1) encourage and facilitate collaborations among EHSC as well as non-EHSC investigators; 2) attract new faculty to the Center; 3) assist junior faculty to develop productive research programs; 4) provide a vehicle for investigators to develop preliminary data for extramural funding applications; and 5) develop innovative research initiatives within the Center. Throughout the previous funding period, this program has been instrumental in expanding the Center, both within the intramural and extramural communities, in the advancement of its research capabilities, and increasing its breadth and scope. In particular, through this mechanism the Center has recruited new University faculty to the Center, fostered the continued growth of the Osteotoxicology Research Core, developed the basis for the formation of a new research core on Immunomodulators and Immunopathogenesis, provided the means to obtain data that served as the basis for the acquisition of additional research funding for several Center investigators, and supplied a vehicle for expansion of our community interactions.